


The Mad Ones

by ztannas



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Mystery, Princess!Emma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-07
Updated: 2012-09-07
Packaged: 2017-11-13 18:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/506521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ztannas/pseuds/ztannas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which Emma is the 18-year-old daughter of Prince James Charming and Snow White. Charged with a crime she didn't commit, Emma (and the Evil Queen's Huntsman) follow a trail of breadcrumbs to catch the real culprit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mad Ones

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on Tumblr

Emma was completely out of her element.

She wasn’t fond of the cute woodland creatures, and she certainly did not like the corsets her mother wanted her to don every morning. She stole riding boots from the stables and trousers from whomever had left their wash out that day and snuck out to play hide and seek with the Lost Boys (and Girls). She was not fit to be the princess her parents wanted her to be.

She did not dance with princes at Godforsaken balls. Especially princes with bright yellow cummerbunds who stepped on her toes every 30 seconds.

Emma finally managed to excuse herself from Prince Nathaniel, and, side-stepping another prince who looked eagerly in her direction, she crept out the balcony door. She glanced around, making sure no one was near enough to witness her escape, then she shimmied down the rose-covered trellis, taking care to avoid the sharpest thorns.

She didn’t quite know where she was going yet, but she knew it was somewhere far, far away from the castle and its noisy, intoxicated guests. She stopped behind a group of thick shrubs to discard her ballgown and whale-boned corset, choosing to roam the Enchanted Forest in bloomers and a chemise. It was too humid a night for much else. She had already hidden a pair of her father’s old boots in the bushes and she slipped them on before heading deeper into the wood.

Emma watched the moon glow bright and orange above her head and wondered if her friend Red was roaming out this late, or if her grandmother had locked her up again. She could hear howling in the distance, but it wasn’t deep and guttural like Red’s alterego, rather the sound of harmless mutts playing in the summer heat.

The reluctant princess deemed the forest safe, for now, at least, and begin to trek her way through the bramble. She examined the small scratches on her arms, evidence of sneaking out, her parents would undoubtedly see them later. Prince James and Princess Snow Charming wouldn’t punish their daughter, though. They worried, but they never forced her under lock and key after midnight. Emma had realized long ago that her parents trusted her completely—they just didn’t trust the people she might come in contact with.

The air was beginning to get as thick as the underbrush beneath her feet, and Emma wished for a breeze. The Kingdom was always the worst this time of the year, too much heat and never enough sunshine. Just rain. The summer showers caused the forest to be muggy and a wispy fog to congeal around treetops. Her mother used to spin tales of monsters and thieves hiding in the mist, waiting for some innocent to prey upon, but Emma had always thought the stories were invented to keep children from exploring the woods. Although, they definitely never stopped her.

A loud howl pierced the oak-lined path she walked upon, sending a slight shiver down her spine, but she could tell the creature it came from wasn’t a threat, so she trudged on. She could hear horses galloping far off, probably in the small town closest to her parent’s castle. She knew she was nearing closer to Queen Regina’s castle, but didn’t plan on sneaking onto the property tonight. Regina used to be a friend of her mother’s, but that was a long time ago, many years before Regina became queen.

Emma shook the past from her mind. She was trying to escape, not reminiscence on friendships gone awry.

She trudged through the brush, following the sound of cawing coming from somewhere in front of her. She was wondering why crows would be congregating in the middle of the forest when she saw it, the subject of the crows’ noisy party—a dead man nailed to the trunk of a huge sycamore tree.

Emma recoiled in shock, but didn’t run or scream. There was no need to be scared of a corpse, after all. She shooed the birds away, wanting a closer look at the body. His clothes were of fine material, a nobleman or a knight perhaps, maybe even one that was at her birthday party. His face didn’t appear familiar, though, all wild eyes and sharp cheekbones. He wore a velvet hat perched high on his head making him look a little like a scarecrow.  _A useless one_ , Emma thought, glancing around at the murder of birds staring at her from the tree’s high limbs. She lifted the tipping brim of the hat, brushing his shaggy hair from his face, and noticed the blood on his collar. A long, thin slice of the skin, freshly done by the look of the blood still dripping from it, was clearly the cause of death.

 _The Red Queen, perhaps_ , she thought. Maybe he’s an outlaw from Wonderland. Emma had never been to that world, but she knew of it through Queen Regina. Back when she referred to the corrupt ruler as “aunt,” Emma would listen to Regina tell magical tales about other worlds outside of their realm. Some could be reached through mystical objects, some through fairy magic. Each realm had a ruler, cruel or kind, queen or king,  _someone_  to take care of its inhabitants.

Emma had just placed the hat back on the deadman’s head, when she heard the horse’s hooves behind her. She spun around just in time to notice a beautiful white horse laden with golden bridals, each bearing the crest of Queen Regina.

And on the animal’s back sat the queen’s right-hand man, the Huntsman.

“Miss,” he said, lifting his helmet, “I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me.”

Emma was a bit startled. She had never seen the Huntsman’s face, thinking him severely scarred or mutilated by the queen. He was surprisingly young, and very handsome—though, she tried not to think about that as she stared him down.

“Yeah?” she prodded, arms crossed over her chest, “on what grounds?”

The Huntsman’s eyes narrowed; he wasn’t used to being talked to as if  _he_  were the one being arrested.

“Someone reported this man’s murder,” he dismounted and walked towards Emma who stood taller and stared more defiantly, “and you are the only witness.”

“Simply finding the body doesn’t make me a witness,” she told him, dodging his grasp.

“True,” he said, a glimpse of an amusement flittered through his eyes, “but how am I to know that you aren’t lying?”

She glared at his accusing smile as he tugged her toward the horse. He pulled himself up then gave her an ultimatum—come with him, or get chased down by the queen’s guards. Emma had already decided to comply; she knew she could get away later if he trusted her to behave. She ignored the hand he offered to help her up and skillfully swung her leg over the animal, disdainfully wrapping her arms around the Huntsman’s waist. He laughed at her discomfort, before giving the horse a slight kick.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m sure the queen won’t kill you.”

 _No_ , Emma thought,  _she’ll do much worse_. 


End file.
